After the arrest of three suspects, the Chinese embassy rejects allegations of espionage. Experts fear that Germany is ill-equipped to combat espionage and suspect further cases.
Two men and a woman are said to have passed on information to the Chinese secret service and in particular spied on military technology.
The Chinese embassy in Berlin has now defended itself against these allegations. The Chinese news agency Xinhua said: “We call on the German side to stop exploiting the espionage accusation to politically manipulate the image of China and defame China.”
Germany was poorly armed
The CDU security expert Roderich Kiesewetter suspects there are further undetected cases in Germany. For him, the three arrests are just the beginning. Germany is poorly armed against hybrid attacks, including from intelligence services, and is therefore very vulnerable.
Kiesewetter told the Germany editorial network: “China has a rather easy game in Germany.” The necessary awareness of the risks of Chinese collaboration is missing, particularly in science and business.
Military-use technologies in sight
At the time of the arrests, the defendants were said to be in negotiations about research projects that could be particularly useful for expanding China’s maritime combat power, according to the federal prosecutor’s office. Sensitive information is also said to have already reached China – including about a high-performance engine that is suitable for combat ships.
The two men were taken into custody on Monday. The arrested woman is to be brought before the investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice today.
Birthe Soennichsen, ARD Berlin, tagesschau, April 23, 2024 6:04 a.m